Good morning DU. Dissappointing day so far

[Discord]

Maybe someone can explain to me why people would rather bash every single Dem in office. I just can't bear to read the GD forums any more right now. Every time someone posts anything good one of our elected officials are doing, its followed by a chorus of people bashing them. Rather than a pat on the back for doing something good, they are being slammed for not doing enough. It's just getting really frustrating and irritating and is making me remember why I didn't want to be a Democrat until the ABB era.

[Ninga]

1. Question? You supported the Dems who voted for the Bankrupcy Bill?

[Discord]

5. wow. way to go. feel better already. thanks.

[Ninga]

10. Hey, I can only call it as I see it. You asked. And by the way

you didn't answer my questions.

In my family, if someone has been avoiding the mouthwash and shower routine, we let them know post haste. So goes it with our party.

Really, there are way too many DINO's out there to suit me and they don't need us to hold their hands and tell them what a great job they are doing for the little guy with no job, no health care, and no increase in minimun wage.

[Discord]

12. We're not getting it anyways.

and its not the DINO thats killing us. Its the Repukes.

If I analyzed every Dem in office right now, I'm sure I could find at least one issue that I don't agree with them on. Does that mean I shouldn't support ANY Dem anymore? Thats what its starting to sound like. Do I like that we have Repuke Lite's in the Dem party, not particularly, but I would rather them than ANY Repuke. I'll take 50% of the votes going the way I like than 0% of them. Simple math to me. I have written several emails to Dems who have casts votes against what I believe in. That is my right and perogative. But until we can get a Dem into these offices who will vote more steadily behind the party, I will take what I can get.

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. That didn't take long, did it? n/t

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

13. I did.

They came from states full of major banking. Probably half the jobs in the Dakotas and Delaware are from those companies. I know it's foreign to some people here, but voting on behalf of your constituency IS the reason these Senators are employed!

[BlondieK143]

2. Gotta love the Lounge.

:hug: We're your friends. hehe

[Discord]

8. Thanks Blondie.

I needed that. :)

[BlondieK143]

9. You're more than welcome!

:) That's what I'm here for.

[Ninga]

3. Question? Dem's who voted for Congress to intervene in Schivio are OK?

[Ninga]

4. Question? How about those YES votes for the war???

edit for spelling

[Discord]

6. See message 5

[Discord]

7. self-delete.

double post

[fishnfla]

11. Those bastards who voted to drill ANWR can kiss my ass too

tell their friends I hate them too

[sendero]

15. I'm getting equally annoyed...

... at folks who think that all Dems are above criticism.

Perhaps you would rather our party be like the Reps, where nobody dare tell the chimporer that he is so full of shit his eyes are turning brown.

Sure, some of the criticism is unfair. Some folks would kick someone out of the senate over one damn vote. That's absurd BUT - you either allow free expression and allow the reader to sort it all out or you don't.

To the credit of the folks who run this board and the moderators, they assume that the readers of DU can think for themselves, and by and large I'd say they are right.

[Discord]

16. its not the criticisms that I take offense to

its the flames and personal attacks that go along with it.

People have the right to criticize the voting record of elected officials, but many are going WAY TOO FAR! Some are launching personal attacks on other posters who disagree with thier opinions.
There is no call for it, and it dissuades people from constructive political debate. Constructive criticism is one thing, but to berate others for disagreeing is another thing entirely. If I could choose 10 seats to switch in congress, I'd pick 10 repukes to unseat before any of the DINO's. I think most people who can see beyond whats in front of thier faces would too.

Again, I will stress one point.
3rd grade math does the trick.

Would you want someone who votes for the party 50% of the time, or 0% of the time?

Thats the unfortunate choice with some states at the moment. Can't you just hear the Repukes across the hall laughing thier asses off watching us spend all this financing to beat our own party instead of them? I can.

[sendero]

19. Well...

... I hate to diverge into a meta-discussion, but I disagree with you.

I think targeting one DINO for removal is called for. Somehow, the Dems in Congress need to understand that they can either support the party's agenda at least most of the time or their cushy perky job is on the line. None of them have been held accountable and that is why they are so damned spineless - there is no downside to being so.

Ok, that out of the way I agree that personal attacks against DUers is uncalled for, and of course there is an Alert button for that. As for what constitutes a personal attack on a politician, well IMHO they are public figures and hence fair game.

I do not see DU as a place where we can never criticise Dems because someone from the "outside" might see it as disunity or somesuch. No, I'm going to give my opinion, try to be fair, and in the end I'm going to vote Dem. I never mean to be rude, or just bitch and moan for the sake of venting but I'm sure I do it anyway sometimes.

But debate is an adversarial passtime and sometimes the line between making a point and thrusting a saber gets blurred. But the debate has to go on :)

[Discord]

20. I agree

that the DINO's are an issue, but they should not be a priority.

Also, out of a 1000 democrats, you'd probably get about 500 differing views of what it means to be a Democrat. Dems are suffering an identity crisis. The issues we stand for are no longer clear. We have a multitude of people who vote Dem because they aren't Reds, but have strong differing opinions to what the classical definitions of being a Dem is. Should we just tell them... sorry, but theres no room for you over here. I know... I know.. we preach tolerance, just not towards you. Go back over to the Red side since you only agree with us on 75% of the issues. It's becomming 100% or nothing and will only alienate many Blue voters in the future. So, please. Lets continue down this road and hand the Red's control of the gov't for years to come. I'll be sure to send a thank you note to everyone who couldn't see past today and worked hard to polarize the Dems from within thier own party.

[sendero]

22. Ok...

... I agree with your point. I think the party is struggling to find its identity and its voice. Part of that struggle goes on right here, with folks duking it out over what they think we should do.

In the scheme of things its hard to know how to find that identity, or how much of a role message boards like this will have on that struggle. But, do you think that these debates here are really "dividing Dems"? Sure I disagree vehemently with the positions some here take, but again the argument is not what we wish to accomplish (have some power to stop the RW juggernaut) but how to accomplish it.

We all have our own ideas about that and I resent it when someone implies I'm not a "good Dem" when I don't agree with their outlook.

When I came to DU, I was a solid pragmatist, probably could have been described as a centrist. But lately, I'm agreeing more and more with the crowd that thinks that our party needs to pull together and be more disciplined in our opposition. That change of opinion came through listening to the arguments made here, as well as watching us get our ass kicked over and over on issues that frankly Dems should not have much to argue about.

I think most of the people here are honestly wanting the same thing, for us to WIN. There are no doubt a few paid or otherwise biased agitators and they cause a lot of the disruption you see here. It would be nice if we could identify and ignore them, but that is not easy. Nobody wants to ascribe that kind of motive openly.

Probably, we are in violent agreement. Just a slight difference of opinion of what some of the discord (no pun intended)is all about. :)

[Discord]

23. LOL. I was just waiting for someone to

get my screenname involved. And I was and probably still am a Pragmatist, and closer to center than left. I have nothing against constructive agrument. Hell, I thrive on it. But if someone is closed-minded or is condesending, its those types of arguments that are the most disruptive. I even went so far as to call one out, because I had been seeing alot of posts, that we're abusive, condesending, and lacked any relavant political topics. Was simply posting to promote his agenda, and tear down anyone opposing or disagreeing. went so far as calling myself and other people "not real Dems" and "Freepers" because they disagreed. Even though most had posted clear, factual, and civil posts in contraditction to what he was claiming. Maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but I just couldn't stand it anymore. I was reading post after post of people just bitching and bashing and lacking anything substansive in thier posts. It was trolling, flamebaiting, and counter-productive well disguised. It just kills me to see everyone bickering and fighting over everything under the sun. I was never a registered Dem until the ABB election even though I had almsot always voted Dem.

[GOPBasher]

17. I hate that too. At least be balanced about it, ya know?

If they bash them for one thing they don't like, can't they at least give them a pat on the back for doing something good? :shrug:

[Discord]

18. I hope so.

Seems at the moment, people choose to support someone, and that person can do no wrong in thier eyes. And once someone decides they don't like someone, they can do no right. Seems like some polarization going on around here lately. I've never seen such hatred being spewed from Democrats. I understand that all of us are feeling very frustrated and many may feel hopeless. But they seem to be taking thier anger out in all the wrong ways and places.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

21. While there are several votes that make me wonder about several Dems

It seems the people posting this overly emotional shit will one day praise some member of congress or a senator and then the next day post how they are the bottom feeding belly crawling slime of the earth.

The ignore button and the white X can be our friend.